“Dangers” of protection

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32677, 5 August 1971, Page 2

“Dangers” of protection

The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Carter) said last evening he did not think it was wise policy to protect farmers from market influences, as this could have adverse long-range effects.

In support of this view, he gave the instance of the dairy industry in Europe being subsidised at the rate of £5BO a ton at a time when New Zealand was selling butter at £3OO a ton. The Minister, who was addressing the North Canterbury Agricultural Advisory Committee, agreed that farmers had been in an adverse situation in recent years, but he said that if the Government had to help farmers out of every hole they got themselves into, it was not doing them a service. “I know fanners have been entitled to all the assistance they obtained in the last three years, but farming must be able to stand on its feet and compete for services and labour,” he said. “Farmers should not have to go humbly, cap in hand to the Government all the time. What’s happening in farming now, is evolution.”

BOTH DIFFICULT The Minister said prosperity could be as difficult to manage as a depression. When times were good, land values went sky-high. Then when the situation declined, farmers were in trouble. Good times would continue to alternate with the bad. “Don’t let’s act like millionaires when times are good, then when things don’t turn out, go to the Government and say we want some assistance.

“The public don’t like this. They are likely to ask what you did when times were good.” The Minister, who is a dairy farmer, was optimistic

about the future for this section of the industry. He said he believed that in two seasons a good many dairymen would be “back on their feet.”

Because of the improvement in prices overseas, the dairy farmer would be $2OOO better off than he was last season. “My own dairy returns have risen from 32.5 c lb to 39.35 c,” the Minister said. When Mr B. H. Palmer, who is chairman of the meat and wool section of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, said that based on fact, he could not see the wisdom of asking farmers to increase production when they would not share the rewards, Mr Carter said: “We’ve got to keep going forward, not backward.” The Minister said farmers must “get another string to their bows,” and as an example cited the establishment of a maize industry in Waikato. From 600 acres, pro-

duction had risen to 12,000 acres and yields had almost doubled. Turning to Canterbury, he said it seemed that irrigation had tremendous prospects, as

it would equalise the seasons and stabilise agriculture. The Minister said he was most impressed with what he had seen of irrigation in this part of the country. Early in the the

retiring chairman (Mr R. H. Bedford), said he was concerned about the emphasis being placed on manufacturing at the expense of agriculture, but the Minister said he was not disturbed. “If someone will come forward and share the heat of the day, that is all to the good,” he said. “STILL VITAL” When he had learned that manufacturing exports had reached sl4om, he was glad, but he was also conscious of the fact that next year, ex-

ports from farming would be close to slloom. “It puts things in perspective. Don’t lets feel humbled. Farming is still of vital importance to New Zealand."

The Minister’s remarks on the wisdom or otherwise of protecting farmers from the influences of markets were made after comment by Mr B. de C. Thomson, who represents the stock and station agencies on the committee.

The indebtedness of farming was reaching pretty massive proportions, Mr Thomson said. In Australia the general manager of Dalgetys had offered to wipe off half the rural debt if the Government would meet the other half in some way. Mr Thomson said there was a sense of injustice. The farmers were not getting ade- . quate rewards in relation to other sections of the community. Five years ago, he said, it took one-third of gross income to produce a net figure; today it took up to fourfifths of gross income to produce net income.

In the photograph, from left, are Mr W, J. Burns (Wellington), executive director of the Agricultural Production Council; Mr R. H. Bedford (Darfleld), chairman of the North Canterbury Committee; the Minister, who is also chairman of the Agricultural Production Council; and Mr W. Willcox (Christchurch), secretary of the North Canterbury committee.

House of Gordon.—Officers elected at the annual meeting of the House of Gordon in Christchurch were: patron, Mr J. B. Gordon; president, Mr H. G. Eliott; vice presidents, Mrs H. J. Quarrell, Mrs A. A. Rutherford, Mr T. A. Gordon; committee, Mrs H. G. Eliott, Messrs M. P. and C. Gordon.